Two weeks after her 6-year-old daughter suddenly died, Kuldip Thindal is haunted by two questions:

Two weeks after her 6-year-old daughter suddenly died, Kuldip Thindal is haunted by two questions:

Would Ruby have survived if Kuldip had called 911?

And what if she had taken Ruby to Brampton Civic instead of Georgetown Hospital?

Brampton Civic is about 15 kilometres from the Thindals' home; Georgetown Hospital is roughly 21 kilometres away. Thindal took Ruby to Georgetown on June 15 when she complained of a tummy ache. The little girl died in the back seat of the car, minutes from the hospital.

Doctors told Ruby's parents later she had the H1N1 influenza virus.

"Our family has always gone to Georgetown Hospital," Thindal said. "It takes way too long at Brampton (Civic) and I feel more comfortable (at Georgetown)."

Wait times for ER are longer at Brampton Civic but that's not the only reason many in the city, specifically in the Punjabi community, are wary of the hospital. When it opened about 18 months ago, two patients died within a few weeks amid allegations they had been misdiagnosed and mistreated.

Amid street protests, Ontario appointed a supervisor to restore public confidence in the hospital. Three top executives at the facility resigned.

"Things at Brampton Civic are getting better," said Jagtar Shergill, a member of Brampton Health Coalition. "The wait times are getting shorter and the staff is more understanding to patients' needs. But there's lingering mistrust from months ago."

Though the cause of Ruby Thindal's death is still unknown, it spurred another round of debate about Brampton Civic's often thorny relationship with the people it serves.

"It's sad but that's the way it is," said Yadevinder "Nick" Mutta, a musician who lives in Brampton.

When his wife, Natasha, was bruised in a melee at a bar last week, she went to Georgetown Hospital. "She was back (home) within three hours," he said.

At Brampton Civic, he says, it would have taken twice, or even three times as long.

Mutta, who has kidney problems, is a regular visitor to hospitals. He says he always goes first to Georgetown Hospital.

The wait times, staff attitude and lingering mistrust are some reasons why people avoid Brampton Civic, said Mutta.

According to the Ontario Ministry of Health, there was an average 17.5-hour wait time for patients with complex conditions at the emergency room of Brampton Civic in February, the latest available data. The hours indicate the complete length of stay in emergency.

The provincial target is 13.6 hours.

More than 7,190 visits, the highest among hospitals in the area, were recorded.

The wait time at the Georgetown Hospital for the same period is 6.3 hours. There were almost 2,350 visits to the ER.

Dr. Naveed Mohammad, chief of emergency medicine for William Osler Health System, of which Brampton Civic is a part, said it was tragic the little girl died, but "she sounded really sick. I don't know if she could have been saved at any other hospital."

Mohammad says lingering doubts about the hospital's efficacy bothered him at one time. "Now I just see our volumes going through the roof," he said in an interview.

"Yes, there are some people who continue to be misinformed but we've launched diversity programs and have made inroads. Otherwise, we wouldn't have such a high volume of patients," he said.

He pointed out that Brampton Civic's times are better than Credit Valley Hospital at 18.5 and Trillium Health Centre at 24.4.

That doesn't help patients, says Balwinder Tamber, who lives near Gore Rd. and Highway 10 in Brampton.

When his 2-year-old daughter started vomiting last month, the family took her to Brampton Civic. Almost 12 hours later, a doctor hadn't seen her. Eventually, Tamber took her home and they went to a walk-in clinic the next day.

Tamber says if he is in a similar predicament again, he will go south of the border.

"I'll have to pay for the services but at least I'll have a doctor. I'll be in and out in 15 minutes. Brampton Civic? I don't think so."

More on thestar.com

We value respectful and thoughtful discussion. Readers are encouraged to flag comments that fail to meet the standards outlined in our
Community Code of Conduct.
For further information, including our legal guidelines, please see our full website
Terms and Conditions.